Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Pakistan is engaged in building goodwill and rubbing shoulders with world leaders abroad after coming out of global isolation.
He said this while addressing a news conference in Islamabad after returning from more than a week of two world summits.
Shahbaz detailed his meetings with world leaders, first at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan and then at the high-level function of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Shahbaz said he met with the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Uzbekistan, and then King Charles III and England’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss in London this weekend during the week of the funeral. Met at the state reception. Met Queen Elizabeth II and then French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden.
The Prime Minister said that he raised the issue of floods in Pakistan with all the leaders whom he met.
Meeting with Charles III
Shahbaz Sharif said that during the meeting with King Charles III, he expressed his best wishes for Pakistan and condoled the loss of life in the flood.
Audio leak
Shahbaz Sharif termed the audio leak as a serious matter of national security that has far-reaching consequences for Pakistan’s position at the global level.
He added that as soon as he landed on Pakistani soil, he took notice of the leaks and the matter would be investigated.
Pressing further on the contents of the leaks, Shahbaz Sharif clarified that Maryam Nawaz did not request any favor from him.
However, he confirmed that Dr Tauqeer had raised the matter with him.
He said that during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf regime, half of the machinery was imported from India, adding that the project was suffering because the rest of the machinery was not imported after the complete ban on imports from India. could
The Prime Minister said that since the ban was still in force, Dr Tauqeer said that if the matter was to be taken up, it would have to go to the ECC and then the Federal Cabinet for approval and that would not be appropriate.
Shahbaz said that this is a halal way of doing things. Instead of pushing it quietly, they chose against it, he added. He asked the questioning journalist whether he had heard anything about the import of machinery.
Taking a swipe at Imran Khan, he said that during the PTI regime, carat deals were done while state assets were sold without any care.
He asked where is the audio of sugar and wheat being exported and then re-imported?
Shehbaz Sharif further questioned that where are the audios of all the corruption allegations against Imran Khan, including the sale of government gifts kept in the Tosha Khana and the illegal detention of Tayyaba Gul and then blackmailing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). There are allegations of closing cases against the PTI government by mail and creating cases against them. The opposition
He also raised questions over alleged irregularities in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Billion Tree Tsunami (BTT) projects.
Cost of trips
When asked about the expenses incurred on his extended foreign visits, Shahbaz said that since he first assumed the top public office, when he was elected Chief Minister of Punjab in 1997, he personally Domestic travel bills have been paid.
Donor conference
Shahbaz Sharif said that according to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, this is the time to act.
He further said that his team including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and others are trying to organize the conference.
He added that French President Macron had indicated to donate during the conference.
During the briefing, he also had to immediately ask Federal Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb what the relevant word for “solitude” is in Urdu.
